As I understand it, authorities still have not determined the cause of death for Whitney Houston. One of the many sad things about all this is that so many people assume they already know. If the chatter on the web is any indication, all of America heard she was found dead and a nation shrugged and said, "Overdose."
I remember when it was announced that John Belushi had died. No cause was mentioned but everyone just nodded and thought, "Overdose." I believe some radio stations even received the wire report that said "John Belushi found dead" and went on the air and said, "John Belushi has been found dead of an apparent drug overdose." And if newsmen didn't insert the "o" word, a lot of listeners heard it anyway. A few hours later when the Associated Press or UPI had heard it from police and so reported it as news, everyone thought, "That's not news. They told us that when they first said he was dead." But most sources hadn't.
I always thought that mass deduction really said something about drug usage. It may well turn out something else killed Ms. Houston. That won't change the response much. People will just assume that whatever caused her death was caused by drugs.
This is not a warning that people shouldn't use drugs or a brag that the strongest one I ever put into my system is Omeprazole. I'm sure there are folks out there whose lives are made better and/or longer via pharmaceuticals, including even the kind that don't pass through any pharmacy. I just think users oughta keep the celebrity excesses in mind. And I guess I am a little proud that when word gets around that I've died, my friends are at least going to have to ask how it happened.